On-the-air program atlas

POTA, SOTA and WWFF get most of the attention. Plenty of other programs reward you for being on the air from somewhere interesting, and many of them stack with a park activation you were already planning. This page maps them so you can pick one and then read its own rules.

Independent guide, not affiliated with any program listed here. Each program runs its own rules and can change them at any time. The program's site always beats this page.

Program atlas v1.0 · written 2026-10-08 · rules and dates checked as of Oct 2026 · confirm on each official site before you go

Already chasing parks and summits? The side-by-side rules for POTA, SOTA, WWFF and PARCS are on Programs. Logging tips for doing several programs at once are at the bottom of this page.

At a glance

Islands and water

IOTA (Islands on the Air)

A British shortwave listener, Geoff Watts, started IOTA in 1964. The idea was to chase island groups rather than every rock in the sea: the Bahamas count once, and so do Long Island and the Isles of Scilly. Chasers work toward the IOTA 100 Islands of the World award, which needs at least one group from each continent, and then climb by hundreds. The RSGB's IOTA page tells that history. The program's current rules and island directory are on iota-world.org.

From a park: many US coastal parks sit on islands that carry an IOTA reference, so a POTA activation there can also hand out IOTA contacts. Look up the group before you go.

US Islands (USI)

USI covers islands in US waters, including lakes and rivers. A new island has to be qualified with 15 QSOs before it gets its permanent number. Two dates to know: One-Day-Getaway, the second Saturday of May, and the US Island QSO Party, the last full weekend of August (2026 ran 1200Z Aug 29 to 0300Z Aug 30). Many USI islands are also POTA parks. The USI site shows pairings such as USI MD009S with POTA K-7750. Rules: USI rules and program information.

LLOTA (Lagos y Lagunas On The Air)

LLOTA is a Spanish-language program, started in Latin America, that works much like POTA for lakes and lagoons. From the LLOTA documentation (checked 2026-10-08):

• 10 QSOs for a valid activation.
• You must be no more than 200 m from the edge of the water.
• Upload an ADIF from your profile with MY_SIG = LLOTA and MY_SIG_INFO = the reference (format like LLCL-0001).
• Hunters don't upload. Self-spotting is allowed, and spots expire after 30 minutes without activity.

Sign-in is through a Google account. New countries are added through country representatives, so check the map for references near you.

Lighthouses, ships and railways

ILLW (International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend)

This is a fun weekend, not a contest: register your lighthouse or lightship and operate from it. It is normally the third full weekend of August. 2027: 0001 UTC Aug 21 to 2400 UTC Aug 22 (illw.net, checked 2026-10-08). The entrants list shows who will be on. Get permission from the site owner well ahead.

ARLHS (Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society)

ARLHS keeps the ARLHS World List of Lights and runs activator and chaser awards, plus events such as the Spring Lights QSO Party, the US National Lighthouse-Lightship Weekend (NLLW) and Lighthouse Christmas Lights. Award rules: ARLHS general awards rules.

Museum Ships Weekend

Museum Ships Weekend is run by the NJ2BB club: museum ships around the world come on the air for one weekend. The 2026 event ran 0000Z June 6 to 2359Z June 7. The organizers say plainly that it is not a contest. Ships and operator results are posted on nj2bb.org/museum (2026 results were posted Oct 3, 2026). Watch that page for the 2027 date.

Railways on the Air (UK)

Railways on the Air is a UK weekend at heritage railways, held on the weekend closest to Sept 27, the anniversary of the first steam passenger railway in 1825. 2027: Sept 25–26 (rota.barac.org.uk, checked 2026-10-08). It matters little for US operators unless you hear one of the stations, but it's a good model for a US club railroad event.

Castles and bunkers

WCA (World Castles Award)

WCA references castles and fortresses (format like DL-05534), and several countries run national castle schemes that feed it. Rules, the reference list and award records are on wcagroup.org. WCA is busiest in Europe. US references are few, so this is mostly a chaser program here.

WWBOTA and USBOTA (Bunkers on the Air)

US Bunkers on the Air joined Worldwide Bunkers on the Air on Jan 7, 2026. From the USBOTA page and WWBOTA activity rules (checked 2026-10-08):

• Only bunkers with a WWBOTA reference count. The US format is B/US-xxxx.
• The activation zone is 1,000 m from the listed coordinates. You can activate up to 5 bunkers at once, but only where every zone overlaps.
• A valid activation is 25 QSOs with different stations. A QSO on another band earns the activator an extra QSO; another mode does not. WWBOTA's 2026 award rules list 10 QSOs for VHF/UHF-only activations. The program pages don't all use the same wording, so confirm before a VHF-only outing.
• Mixed modes are fine (for example 20 on SSB and 5 on FT8).
• Logs are uploaded as ADIF to the WWBOTA Logger, which needs a WWBOTA account. Hunter QSOs come from activator logs.
• WWBOTA says it welcomes multi-program activations, so a bunker inside a park is a two-program day.

Grids, summits and counties

Tiles on the Air

Tiles on the Air turns Maidenhead subsquares (the 6-character grid, roughly 4 by 3 miles at mid-US latitudes) into activation references. It's popular with walkers and cyclists because there is always a tile nearby. The rules page is drawn by script and wouldn't load for our checker, so read the current rules at tilesontheair.com before claiming anything. To find your subsquare, use the Grid Map.

GMA (Global Mountain Activity)

GMA lists summits and also recognizes references from other programs. From the GMA activation help (checked 2026-10-08): an activation is valid when you operate portable on site, make at least 4 valid QSOs, and submit the log. Operating from a car, on vehicle power, mains power or a motor-driven generator is not allowed. That rules out the hitch-mount park setup, but a walk-up SOTA-style kit qualifies.

HEMA (HuMPs Excluding Marilyns)

HEMA covers hills with 100 to 150 m of prominence, the ones too small for SOTA. The activation zone is within 25 m vertically of the top. Contacts through any relay (satellites, repeaters, the internet, EchoLink) are not allowed. Check the HEMA summit list for your region before planning. Rules: HEMA general rules.

County hunting (MARAC USA-CA)

The MARAC USA Counties Award (USA-CA) covers all 3,077 counties. From the USA-CA rules (PDF), checked 2026-10-08:

• No QSL or electronic confirmation is required.
• QSOs via repeaters, satellites or phone patches do not count.
• For a station in POTA, you may credit the county the park is in. If the park spans several counties, ask the activator.
• Mobile stations post their county runs on spotting sites such as ch.w6rk.com.

If you activate a park, put your county in your CQ or QRZ notes. County hunters will find you.

Event weekends and yearly specials

13 Colonies Special Event

Stations K2A through K2M represent the original colonies, with bonus stations WM3PEN (Philadelphia), GB13COL (Great Britain) and TM13COL (France). It runs July 1 to July 7 each year. 2026 ran July 1, 1300 UTC, to July 8, 0400 UTC. A clean sweep earns a certificate, and the 2026 certificate ordering deadline is Oct 31, 2026 (13colonies.us).

America250 WAS (2026 only)

ARRL's America250 Worked All States marks the 250th anniversary. You work all 50 states in calendar year 2026, and only LoTW confirmations count. Endorsements cover working the W1AW/portable stations and ARRL-affiliated club calls in all 50 states. It ends Dec 31, 2026. Details are on the Awards ladder and at arrl.org/america250-was.

Winter Field Day

Winter Field Day runs on the fourth full weekend of January. 2027: Jan 23–24 (winterfieldday.org, checked 2026-10-08). It's built for portable and outdoor stations, and many people run it from a park. If you do, make sure the QSOs you claim for POTA also meet POTA rules (inside the boundary, simplex, no relays). Read the current WFD rules on its site before you plan your category.

Also worth knowing

• ZLOTA, SiOTA (Australian silos), ECA and ELA (English castles and lighthouses) are supported by the Polo field logger, along with POTA, SOTA, WWFF, GMA and WWBOTA (Polo Supported Activities, checked 2026-10-08).
• World Heritage Sites (WHS) and other niche schemes exist. Search for the program's own site before you claim anything.
• POTA's own yearly events are covered on Support Your Parks and Field Day.

Stacking programs with a park

Each program has its own minimum, so one sitting can pass for POTA (10) and fail for WWBOTA (25). Count each program separately.

Logging more than one program

• Polo handles several of these in one operation and writes a separate ADIF for each (Polo).
• In ADIF, programs without their own field use MY_SIG (program name) and MY_SIG_INFO (reference). Build one file per program. Don't put a WWBOTA reference in your POTA upload. See ADIF fields.
• Clean up with ADIF Doctor before uploading anywhere.
• Your QSOs still count toward awards like WAS, DXCC and grid awards through LoTW. See the Awards ladder.

Habits / gotchas / checklist

• Read the program's current rules page the week you go. Dates on this page are as of Oct 2026.
• Look up the reference. A lake, island or bunker isn't in a program until it's on that program's list.
• Count QSOs per program: POTA 10, WWBOTA 25, LLOTA 10, GMA 4, USI 15 (new island).
• No repeaters, no relays, and no internet-linked QSOs for activation credit in any of these.
• Get permission at lighthouses, ships and private land. A radio event is not an access pass.
• One ADIF per program, each with its own MY_SIG_INFO.